The Missed Dance
by silusyne
Summary: Starts right after Elena and Damon danced at the end of 4x07. This is how I pictured it would continue. *Rated M for a reason. Some intense smut parts.*
1. The Night

Elena knew what Damon was doing as soon as he set down his glass. She sat there, waiting, as he gently took her glass as well. Damon stood and stretched his palm toward her. She slowly raised her hand from her lap and placed her hand in his. He pulled her lightly to her feet and, hand in hand, they walked slowly to the open space in front of the fireplace. Both their heart rates steadily sped up as they pressed together and began to dance. Damon was painfully aware of the length of Elena's body pressed against his. Elena rested her head on Damon's chest and listened as his heart raced and his breathing became shallower. They danced, content in each others closeness without feeling any rush or need for anything else. Elena lifted her head from Damon's chest and they continued to move, with their lips almost touching, looking into each others eyes.

Damon spun Elena out and as he pulled her back to him, their lips met. Neither knew who started the kiss, but once it began, both felt the need they had had for it. The soft comfort from earlier vanished and their hunger for each other pushed their actions to become more frenzied.

_ Bed_, Damon thought. He wanted nothing more than to take her here and now, but he knew she would be more comfortable in his bedroom and he wanted this night to be something she had no doubts or regrets about. Damon pulled her tighter to his chest and began to move towards the open archway leading to the stairs but Elena pushed him forcefully against the wall and shoved away the closest furniture. Elena felt no emotion, had no thoughts, other than _want. Need. _She tore his shirt open and forced their mouths together again. Elena took advantage of Damon taking a deep breath to push her tongue into his mouth in a desperate attempt to get closer than would be physically possible. The force Elena used made Damon forget his earlier resolution to get them upstairs and he grabbed her arms and slammed her against wall beside the fireplace. This was _right._ This was the way it should be. Were Elena human, Damon would be hurting her. But no, she was a vampire now and she was using more force than he was. Damon pinned Elena against the wall and attacked her neck, alternating between sucking hard enough to leave bruises and kissing so softly as if to soothe the skin. Damon grasped Elena's thigh and lifted her leg so that she could wrap it around his waist. Damon sucked and kissed his way along her collar bone and Elena stretched her neck to the side and moaned softly. As Damon continued with his attention to her neck, Elena began to grind against him, desperate for more contact.

Damon recalled his last thought and held her to him tightly as he sped up the stairs and down the hall toward his room. Unfortunately, Elena had no intention of getting all the way to Damon's room. She reached between their bodies and stroked Damon through his jeans, causing him to stumble and fall on top of her in the hallway. With a sly grin, Elena unbuttoned his pants and manage to make him lose focus on his goal once again. Elena took advantage of his distraction to flip them over and straddle his hips. She pinned him and began to lift the hem of her dress up and then let it fall back into place, teasing him. In response, Damon grasped the top and ripped the dress all the way down the front.

"Hey. I liked that dress," Elena pouted.

"I don't know, I think I like this new look," Damon replied, eying the black lace underwear set that was now visible in the gap between the scraps of fabric. Damon chuckled and sat up to suck her pouting lip into his mouth, biting gently. Elena groaned and leaned back, away from Damon's skillful lips. Before Damon could get a better hold on her, Elena had disappeared from his lap. Damon looked around but she had vanished from sight.

"Aren't you coming," Damon heard Elena's voice call tauntingly from his bedroom at the end of the hall.

_Oh, I will be,_ Damon thought as he launched himself down the hall. He stopped in his tracks as soon as he saw her. Elena had gotten onto his bed and was kneeling with her legs spread ever so slightly. She had shed the ruined dress and was only in her undergarments. Her thumbs snuck under the elastic of her panties and she gently tugged at it, being careful to never lower them enough to reveal anything. Damon stepped slowly towards the bed, shedding his clothes as he went. Finally, he moved in a blur and Elena found herself on her back, with Damon on top of her. Elena exhaled unsteadily as Damon began to suck and lick his way down her body, stopping to give special attention to each breast. He deftly unclipped her bra and pulled it away to reveal her heaving chest. Damon took a nipple between his teeth and gently flicked it with his tongue, making Elena gasp. Elena twisted her fingers through his hair, unable to form a coherent thought other than _more. _Damon released her breast and slid farther down her body, kissing his way along her stomach and pausing only to quickly dip his tongue into her navel. Finally, he reached her mound. He caught the scent of her warmth and knew that his teasing was paying off. He gently eased down her panties, pushing away her hands as she reached down to hurry his movements. Eventually, he slid them all the way off her legs and tossed away the scrap of fabric. Damon pressed Elena's knees to the sides to open her to him. Elena whimpered softly as she felt him breathe onto her exposed flesh, careful to never touch it.

"Damon, please," Elena quivered with the pressure of waiting after being wound up so tightly. Damon gave in to Elena's whimpers to stop the teasing. He bent down and, without any warning, licked all the way from the bottom to the top of her slit.

"Oh god Damon," Elena lay there gasping as Damon continued to suck and lick at her nub, pinning her legs so she had to lay there, immobile while he did what he wanted to do. Damon took a deep breath and inhaled her sweet scent. He loosened his grip on her thighs and suddenly, Elena wasn't on the bed.

"You know, vampire speed could be used in a much more enjoyable way _in _the bed than to get _out _of it," Damon spoke to the room as a whole. Damon leaned back onto his elbows, trying to figure out what to say to Elena to get her back in the bed so he could keep touching her. Before he could find the words, she was on top of him, pushing him flat on his back, convincing him to be compliant by kissing him forcefully. Elena's tongue battled with Damon's for control over the kiss and soon they weren't just fighting for control over the kiss. Damon and Elena fought to get on top- to be in control of their movements. But throughout the struggle, their lips never broke from each other. Finally, when Damon had the upper-hand, he broke away from the kiss and reached down to position himself. But then he hesitated.

"Are you sure about this," he breathed. It would kill him to stop now but he didn't want her to hate him because he took her when she wasn't ready.

"Damon, I love you. I'm sure," Elena replied softly, brushing his hair back from his face in a motion so gentle, he barely could feel it.

With that, Damon gently spiraled his hips to slowly push himself through her folds. His urgency was gone. Elena had just told him that she loved him. But she knew he loved her. She remembered every single time he had told her, from early on in their relationship when she just rolled her eyes at his confessions to when he said it and then had to compel her to forget to save her the pain of hurting him with rejection. So now, he had to _show _her. Damon continued his motion, never speeding up or pushing harder. Elena bent her knees to press them into his hips. Damon tried to keep his weight off of her, but he rested his head on her shoulder, breathing in the complex scent of her skin and occasionally planting a sweet kiss on the nape of her neck. Breathing heavily, they continued like this, never speaking, their quiet groans the only thing that broke the silence. Breathlessly, they reached completion together.

Damon pulled out of Elena and twisted to lie next to her. They laid in each others arms, gasping for air, resting their foreheads together. The only movement they bothered with was the short stretch to share a gentle kiss. They stayed like this, motionless. Neither knew for how long. It could have been hours. It could have been days. It could have been seconds. After staying in his arms, Elena twisted up to straddle his waist.

"You know what my favorite part of being a vampire is," Elena spoke quietly, so as to not ruin the silence. Damon had no response and so he laid silently, waiting for the answer. "Stamina," Elena breathed into his ear while reaching between them to massage him back to life. Damon quickly hardened and Elena raised herself up to lower herself slowly onto him. She began to move, increasing speed ever so slightly. When Damon reached up to caress her, she pinned his arms down above his head and continued her movements, speeding up. Elena ignored his occasional attempts to move, keeping his arms pinned. As she moved faster, Elena began to make noise, starting as low moans and ending up as sharp gasps as she came for a second time.

Only once Elena had finished did she release Damon's hands. Not that he had a problem with what Elena had been doing, but it was time for his fun. Damon pushed her onto her hands and knees and flashed behind her before pulling her onto him. Elena released a short yelp of surprise before she got herself steadied. The care and softness from before was gone, this was Damon claiming her as his- and his alone. Damon continued to pound her and Elena began to force herself back in time to his thrusts. Damon leaned forward to growl into her ear.

"You smell so... delicious," as he spoke, the veins spread beneath his eyes and his eyes filled with bloodlust.

"Do it. Oh god, please do it," Elena moaned and without any further hesitation, he bit down into her shoulder and drank. Without asking, Damon reached his arm around and offered Elena his wrist. As soon as her teeth sank into his arm, they both came. Damon took one last pull at her shoulder before collapsing next to her.

Finally, they both fell onto the bed, worn out. Elena sighed contentedly as her bloodlust faded and the veins disappeared from her face. Damon settled in behind her, holding her close. Damon licked her freshly healed shoulder clean and softly kissed the spot where he had bitten her. Elena only heard one sentence before being sucked into slumber.

_ I love you._


	2. The Morning After

Damon woke when it was just barely light out. Elena was still asleep, curled into his chest. Careful to not disturb her, Damon slid out from under Elena and silently crossed the room to get to the door. As he crossed, he swooped down to grab his jeans off the floor and slipped them on as he went down the hall. He didn't want to risk running in to Stefan, stark naked and stinking of sex. That would _not _go well.

Damon was walking on air. Elena had chosen him. She had said that she loved him. She had spent the night with him. They had shared blood. She was _his._In every sense, human and vampire.

Damon went down to the basement to get a couple bags of blood. He drank an entire bag just on the way back up to the living room. After tossing the empty bag in the trash, Damon grabbed a glass and poured the blood into it so he could sip it leisurely, thinking about the previous night. After finishing the second bag, Damon returned upstairs. When he got to the door, he saw Elena starting to sit up, carefully covering herself with the sheet. Worry flashed through Damon that she was regretting the night they spent together. As soon as Elena spotted Damon standing uneasily in the doorway, she smiled. With that reassurance, Damon moved into the room and shed his jeans again before sliding back into bed with her.

"Where'd you go? I woke up and you were gone" Elena spoke as she laid back down, with her back to Damon's chest.

"I was just grabbing some breakfast. You took a lot out of me last night," he said with a smirk. "You hungry? I could pop out and find you someone".

"No thanks. Full," Elena snuggled back towards him as she spoke.

"Hm, so what are your plans for today," Damon's hand drifted over her stomach and continued down until he reached her slit and began to gently massage it.

"Mmmm. I need to shower and go to school," Damon grinned as he heard her determination to attend school fade by the end of the sentence.

"Now, why would you go to school when you could learn a few much more fun things here, with me," Damon stopped his hand movements and lifted her leg to enter her from behind. Damon reached around her waist and started to massage her nub as he kept sliding in and out of her. Elena tried to mutter something about senior year but gave up as Damon continued his gentle movements.

"I love you," Damon breathed into her ear just before they came simultaneously. They laid together, still connected for a few moments before Elena pulled away. She rolled away from him and stepped unsteadily out of the bed, walking towards his bathroom. Damon heard the shower start and toyed with the idea of joining her. Deciding not to, he laid back, and replayed the last twelve hours until the shower shut off. Elena finished showering and dressing and (despite Damon's best efforts) was soon ready to go to school. Neither of them spoke at all. Before Elena walked out the door, she turned to give Damon a sweet kiss.

"Love you too," she whispered before stepping out for the day.


	3. The Bond

Damon stood dumbstruck in the hall, staring at the door Elena had just closed. Sure, she had said the exact same words to him last night. Sure, she had told him that she had chosen him. But with her _there_, he didn't get the chance to process it. He had been too overwhelmed. By her. Just...her. Damon wasn't entirely sure that he hadn't been imagining the whole night. That it wasn't just a dream.

_ Well, if it was just a dream, it was a wet one_, he thought cockily to himself. He turned and observed the wreckage that used to be his parlor. _Nope, definitely happened, _he thought as he glanced around at the tipped furniture and broken glass scattered on the ground. Damon pulled his focus back and began to pick up the debris to return the room to its former state. After cleaning up downstairs, Damon went up to his room. The entire room reeked of sex.

_ Maybe I won't clean this room, _Damon thought as he enjoyed the memories the scent brought back. Damon slowly got dressed (he had avoided it before in the hope that Elena would change her mind about attendance being important). Once clothed in jeans and his signature black button down shirt, Damon decided he wanted a drink. On his way down the hall, Damon heard the door open and shut.

_ Just couldn't stay away for long, could you? _Damon thought slyly as he raced down to meet Elena in the foyer. Upon reaching the stairs, Damon saw that the person entering was his brother and not, in fact, Elena.

"Where is she?!" Stefan growled at Damon's approaching figure.

"Who?" Damon played ignorant and smirked at his brother's anger. Stefan slammed him against the wall, pressing his elbow into Damon's throat.

"Don't be so smug. You think I can't smell her? All over you? You think I can't tell that you and her..." Stefan pressed harder into Damon's throat and left the thought unspoken. "Don't think you've won her. She's sired to you."

Stefan shoved Damon one last time and then released his brother.

"Are you really that desperate to get her back? Really, Stefan? I mean, I expected guilt trips galore, but even I didn't think you would stoop this low!" Damon stepped back as he spoke so that he would be able to sidestep if his brother attacked again.

"I'm not lying! I wish I was. Then at least I could shake some sense into her. This is the truth. I don't like it any more than you do," Stefan continued, sure that if he stopped speaking, his brother would try to change his mind. "Think about it Damon, what have you asked of her that you haven't gotten? You say she can only drink from the vein, she only drinks from the vein. You tell her to kill Connor, she kills Connor. Since she's turned, she has done everything in her power to make you happy. Even..." Stefan, trailed off, gesturing to Damon, making it clear that he thought Damon had taken advantage of Elena.

Damon was in shock, and he stood there, unmoving. _She had... she had said that she..._

"No." Damon growled, "You're lying. You're just jealous because you lost her. You lost her! Accept it! She doesn't want you any more!"

"Even if she doesn't want me, she sure as hell doesn't want you! All those times she rejected you! All those times she came to me for comfort! She didn't go to you! Why would she now?"

Damon stood, unable to move. "Prove it," Damon whispered, trying to convince himself his brother wasn't telling the truth.

"Go to her. Don't tell her. Just... ask her to do something she wouldn't do otherwise. Anything. And she'll do it. No matter what you tell her to do."

"Fine. I will. But only to prove you wrong, because she is _not _sired to me," Damon spoke the words with confidence in the hope that the confidence would become reality. Without another word, Damon strode out the front door, letting it slam behind him.


	4. The Test

The wheels on Damon's car screeched as he peeled out of the drive in front of the boarding house, spraying gravel at the porch where Stefan stood. No thoughts entered his head as he raced towards the high school. Damon didn't even bother to pull the keys out of his car as he leapt out the door and toward closest entrance to the school. Without hesitation, he slammed open the door to Elena's first period classroom. At the crash made, the entire class startled, but only Elena rose to face the possible threat.

"Damon?! What are you doing here? Is everything okay? What happened?" Elena fired off the questions without waiting for a response. Damon rushed toward the startled teacher and spoke quietly and intensely with her for a moment before striding forward to grab Elena and pull her out of the room. Elena recognized the fact that Damon has just compelled her teacher based on the teacher's blank look which was only replaced by purpose as she ignored Damon and Elena's exiting figures to continue her lesson.

Elena ripped her hand from Damon's grasp once they were in the hall, "What, exactly, is going on here". Damon turned and took a deep breath. Before speaking, Damon gripped both of Elena's hands in his.

"Elena, I need you to trust me," Damon faltered as he tried to find the words to prove she loves him. Stefan was clear, the only way to prove if Elena was sired was to ask her to do something she would never do otherwise. "Elena, I need you to do something for me".

"Anything. What is it that's so urgent," Elena's voice shook as she feared what he may have come to say. Clearly, this was an emergency, and they had to face some coming threat. Damon's fingers gently pulled at her daylight ring and began to slide it off her finger. He didn't want to hurt her. He never wanted to hurt her. He wants to spend the rest of eternity protecting and worshiping her. But anything else would be something she might just do as a trusting friend. It had to be something that she would never do on her own to prove she had no will of her own when he asked something of her. Elena gently clenched her fingers to keep the ring from sliding off. "What…"Elena lost her words as she tried to puzzle together what Damon was thinking.

"Shhh. Elena, I want you to trust me. I need you to let me have your ring and…" Damon feared the pain his words would cause her, and so he trailed off. "And I need you to go stand outside until I give you your ring back". Elena's questioning look turned to a look of betrayal. But without a word, she relaxed her hand and allowed the ring to fall off her finger, into his palm. She turned and slowly began to walk to the door leading to the bright daylight. As she walked, she spoke quietly to him.

"Damon, why," Elena whimpered slightly as she neared the sun beaming through the windows on the doors.

"Elena… I just... I need you to trust me. I'm so sorry, but please, just trust me," Damon spoke gently to her as he walked with her. Tears began to fill her eyes as they reached the sunlit portion of the hall. Her skin began to brighten and smoke softly. Elena pushed forward until she reached the door. She pushed the door open and stepped through it into the blinding light. Elena released a strangled yell and then stood still, just as he had instructed. Damon watched with pained eyes as her skin began to burn and he quickly forced the ring back onto her finger. Elena collapsed to her knees and Damon cradled her in his arms, whispering apologies.

"Elena, I promise it's over now. I swear, you won't hurt anymore," Damon paused to kiss her hair and hug her into his chest. "Elena, just listen and I promise it will all be okay."

Stefan poured himself a glass of bourbon and tried to force away thoughts of what Damon was putting Elena through at his suggestion. Stefan didn't want to cause her any pain. Just the opposite. But he had to prove he was right. That Elena hadn't truly rejected him in favor of his brother. Stefan downed his glass and set it on the table. Just as he lifted the tumbler for a refill, the front door burst open and Elena stumbled in, gasping.

"Elena, what happened? Tell me. Are you okay," Stefan rushed to steady her as she stood, breathing shuddering gasps.

"He… he left. Stefan, why would he leave me. Please tell me he's coming back, I can't live without him. Please tell me he's coming home to me," Elena let her tears stream down her face as she leaned into the wrong brother's arms. After a long moment of silence broken only by her sobs, Elena recalled Damon's last request of her. She pulled back to look searchingly into Stefan's face, "He asked me to tell you something. I don't understand it. He said it was important".

"What is it," Stefan murmured, trying to calm her down.

"He said he's leaving. He said you were right, and that he's leaving because you were right," Elena turned her tear-stained face to her ex-boyfriend who was still very much in love with her. "What were you right about, Stefan? Why did he leave me? Why is he gone?"

Stefan stood, looking into her eyes, unable to answer her question. Not when she was so heart-broken. He couldn't let her find out that Damon was gone. And he wasn't coming back.


	5. The Talks

Stefan walked into the dimly lit bar and looked around. He strode over to the bar and slid onto a stool next to Damon.

"You know, if you want to disappear, you may want to go farther than a bar four towns over," Stefan signaled to the bartender as he spoke.

"Well I couldn't very well leave with all this hunter business left open. So I thought 'Hey, at least I don't have to deal with the hunter sober'" Damon forced a smirk and tipped his glass towards his brother in greeting before taking another sip. "So where's Elena? Off finding another vamp to toy with?"

"You know that's not what's going on," Stefan snapped. "She loves you. At least she thinks she does. She just can't differentiate between love and the loyalty of the sire bond."

"So, what, you decided to come down and explain to me exactly what feelings towards me she _isn't _really feeling?" Damon downed the last of his glass and the bartender quickly refilled it. "Keep 'em coming, Barkeep," Damon glanced out of the corner of his eyes at his brother. "And fill them more."

The silence between them grew as they both sat and drank while they attempted to find words that wouldn't start a full on brawl.

"I came to bring you back. To bring you home to her." Stefan looked away as he said the words, unable to admit that he was helping get his brother and Elena back together, in any sense of the word. Damon gave him a disbelieving look. "I know, it doesn't make much sense for me to do this. But as much as I hate to admit it, she needs you. Especially now. Until she has better control over her emotions, she can't afford to be without you. She'll be lost. And she'll lash out. Until the hunter business is completely taken care of, we really can't afford to have her so unpredictable."

"So what do you expect me to do? Come home and play happy family?" Damon rolled his eyes at the thought and turned back to his drink.

"I expect you to be there for her. Don't lead her on. Don't give her hope for things that can't happen. But be there when she needs you. Otherwise, who knows what she'll do to herself." Stefan left it at that and quickly disappeared.

"Dammit" Damon muttered. His brother hadn't gotten any rustier at the whole guilt trip thing. Damon quickly swallowed the last of his and Stefan's drinks and tossed down the money to cover them all. _This will be an interesting homecoming_, Damon thought as he headed out the door to his car.

...

Damon drove exactly the speed limit, in no rush to get home. Despite his efforts, he was home before he figured out exactly how to diffuse the situation. _Blow her off. You can do that. She'll come onto you and you'll sidestep her. You have control. Nothing she could possibly do will beat your control. Not even if she got naked. And waited in your bed. Maybe she'd even tie herself up for you… Shit. _Damon failed at the same pep talk for five full minutes while sitting in the boarding house driveway. No matter how he started out, he always ended up thinking of Elena in compromising positions. Damon sighed and hoped that the same wouldn't happen in real life, knowing his control would vaporize if he saw her naked. He stepped out of his car and walked slowly up to the heavy door.

Damon entered and went directly to the table with the alcohol. But before he could even pick up a glass to pour himself a drink, a brunette blur attacked him in a hug and he barely kept his balance.

"Oh God, Damon, I thought you weren't coming back. Don't you _ever _do that to me again" Elena squeezed him harder with every word.

"Elena, I've only been gone for—" Damon checked the grandfather clock, "eight hours. Not exactly the time to file a missing persons report."

Elena released him enough to tilt her head back and peek at his face. "Why are you being so laid back about this? You said you were leaving. And then you left. How was I supposed to know you would come at all? And it was so soon after we…" Elena trailed off and stepped away from him. "I thought I did something wrong," Elena spoke in a small voice and Damon's heart crumbled at her insecurity.

"Oh God, Elena, no. You didn't do anything wrong. You were perfect," Damon flashed to the previous night and had to remind himself he was supposed to be breaking up with her. "It's just that…" Damon didn't know how to say the words. He knew they would tear her apart. Not to mention what they would do to him.

"And what was this morning about?" Elena looked at him perfectly calmly. She trusted him so completely. Of course, why would she be angry with him? If he had asked her to do it then of course it was necessary for some reason.

"Elena…" Damon struggled to get the words out. "You and I… we can't… We can't be together." He said the last part with as much conviction as he could muster. Elena's face was blank for a moment before turning to hurt. She stepped toward him and Damon assumed she wanted comfort. Which is why he was surprised when her fist collided with his face.

"Are you _kidding me_, Damon?! Oh, what, you slept with me so now you don't have to be with me? You got what you want so now you're done with me?" Elena's voice began to shake. "All those times you said you loved me… Were you just lying to get in my pants? Did I really mean that little to you". Elena crossed her arms over her abdomen and backed away when Damon reached out for her.

"God, Elena, no. I would never do that to you." Elena's eyes searched Damon's and he felt his resolve crumbling the longer he looked at her. "I do love you. Really. It's just…" Damon couldn't think of a way to explain it so she would understand. If he told her he still loved her, she would expect a future with him. If he told her he didn't love her, she would hate him forever and never trust him again. "You're sired to me. It isn't real. What you feel, it's… it's not real." The words slipped out before he could stop them. Damon, looked down, avoiding eye contact with her, knowing her eyes would be full of hurt. Elena stood, speechless.

"But that's one in a million. It never happens. Are you just trying to get out of being with me?" Elena spoke, trying to reason herself into believing it wasn't true. "No. I can't be…" Damon looked down in shame. He believed what he was telling her. "If you knew, then why did you sleep with me?" Elena stood frozen, her arms wrapped around her like they would hold her together when she felt like she would fall to pieces.

"I didn't know. I found out this morning. Stefan told me after you left for school." Damon still wouldn't meet her eyes. Elena immediately stepped toward him in exitement.

"Stefan told you? Then it isn't true! He's just trying to break us up. He doesn't want us together, you know that." Elena stepped into him and took both his hands in hers, trying to force him to look at her. "He's lying Damon. I know that what I feel is real. I can tell. I love you."

Elena leaned forward for a kiss but Damon leaned back and pulled out of her grasp. Damon turned away so he wouldn't have to see the pain of being rejected in her eyes. "Damon, I love you. I am completely and totally, head-over-heels in love with you. And if you won't believe me, then I'll just have to prove it to you." Elena got through the last part with unwavering resolve.

Damon turned when he heard the telltale sound of a vampire speeding away. Elena had left. Damon stumbled over to the couch and sat, letting his hands hold up his head. He sat and thought about Elena. And how when she was so convinced of her undying love, she would be completely unpredictable.


	6. The Proof

Stefan felt his phone buzz in his pocket.

"What is it, Damon?" Stefan was sick of talking to his brother. Their last few conversations hadn't exactly been… friendly. Stefan had driven back out to the bar just to get away from dealing with Damon.

"Elena's gone." Damon cut straight to the point. They didn't have time to waste.

"What did you say to her?" Stefan was already getting into his car to head home. "You must have pushed her over the edge. Tell me _exactly _what you said."

"I said exactly what I was supposed to. I told her I cared about her. But that we couldn't be together. And I _might _have mentioned the bond." Damon winced slightly as he spoke the last sentence.

"You did what?" Stefan growled into the phone and pressed the accelerator harder. "Are you completely brain dead? What did she say? Where is she going?"

"If I knew where she was going, do you really think I would be calling you to chit chat?" Damon paced the parlor as he spoke. "She said she would… prove it to me. That she would prove she really loved me." Damon knew the pain his words would bring his brother. But he couldn't worry about that now. "And then she was gone. Before I could say anything. She left."

"Start thinking of places she might be. I'll be home in ten minutes." Damon heard the engine to Stefan's car pick up before he hung up on him.

Damon collapsed onto the couch, in the exact place he had sat down after his talk with Elena ended so disastrously. Damon pressed his hands together and touched the tips of his fingers to his lips. To someone who didn't know him, they might even think he was praying. To someone who did know him, they would have been shocked to find out that that was exactly what he was doing.

…

Elena broke through the door to the Lockwood mansion without bothering to knock. Caroline heard the snap of the lock breaking and rushed to see what the disturbance was. Once she realized it was Elena, she slowed.

"Elena? Are you okay?" Caroline took steps that would be slow even for a human. Elena's wild look frightened her. She had never seen her friend so unhinged. Elena barely registered Caroline's presence and began to move through the rooms, glancing around each room as she entered it. After circling nearly the entire first floor, Caroline stepped in front of Elena to pause her search. "Elena! Stop for a sec and talk to me. What are you looking for?"

Elena pushed past her through the double doors into the Lockwood study. Tyler and Hayley's heads snapped up at her sudden entrance. "You," Elena spoke to both of them. Tyler and Hayley shared a glance before rising and stepping towards Elena. Everyone in the room was tense, waiting to see what was so urgent. "You broke the sire bond. And you both have been helping the hybrids. You know how to break the bond. And you're gonna to show me."

The entire room was frozen. Tyler was the first to speak.

"What do you mean 'sire bond'? Why do you need to know that?"

"Tyler—" Caroline held a hand to hush him before he said something that would set Elena off.

"Go ahead. Tell them. You were the one who talked this through with Stefan, weren't you? He must have talked to someone. My best bet is you." Elena turned to look at Caroline, who stood still, unspeaking. "What, you'll do it behind my back but not when I can see? Tell them." Caroline didn't respond. "Tell them!"

"She's sired." Caroline rushed through the words in a panic to keep Elena as calm as possible. "She's sired. To Damon."

Tyler faced Caroline, figuring that she would be able to explain better than Elena could at the moment. "What does she…"

"She means exactly what she says. Don't you, Caroline? They all think I'm sired. _Damon _thinks I'm sired. The only way to prove to him that I'm not is to break the 'bond', whether it's real or not. And you two are going to help me."

"Elena, will you just sit and we can talk about this?" Caroline saw the look of fury in Elena's face. Her stiff posture didn't change. "Elena, think back. Can you think of a single thing since turning, that Damon has asked you to do that you haven't done? I'm not trying to make you mad, Elena, you just need to understand."

Elena put a palm to her forehead, as if trying to clear her mind. She looked to her friend with a pained look, "Care, sired or not, I love him. I'd do anything for him."

Caroline stepped slowly towards Elena, moving as if she was approaching an animal she didn't want to spook. "But think, Elena. Please. Love is one thing, but obeying _everything_? That's not love, Elena. That's something else."

Caroline saw something register in Elena's eyes. A tear slipped out onto Elena's cheek. Caroline rushed forward to hug her friend, knowing she had gotten through to her. But almost as soon as Caroline embraced her, Elena pushed her away.

"Then it's even more important to break the bond. To show him that without anything pushing me, I love him just the same."

"Elena, it isn't that simple." Caroline spoke slowly and cautiously, hoping to be able to distract Elena for long enough to text Stefan. Or even Damon. "The bonds they've been breaking are hybrids. They feel a debt to Klaus for saving them from having to turn every month. It isn't the same, Elena. You don't feel like you owe him anything. You've hated being a vampire. I know that much. You hate hurting people to feed. You hate the impulses to kill that you have to fight every second of every day. Elena, honey, this is completely different."

Elena looked at her friend, at a loss for words. Her look of pain turned to one of determination. "Then we'll find a new way. One for normal vampires"

"Elena, you can't just—" Caroline tried to reason with her, but was cut off.

"DID I ASK YOU TO TELL ME IT WOULDN'T WORK?" Elena screamed and stepped threateningly towards Caroline. She realized how she was acting and took a deep breath to control her emotions before continuing in a more calm tone. "We _will _find another way. No matter what it takes. No matter it is. I'll do it."

Elena quickly turned toward the door and brushed past her friend on the way out. She looked over her shoulder and spoke quietly, "If you don't find a way, then I will. I will do _whatever _it takes."

With that, Elena strode out of the Lockwood mansion, leaving one stunned werewolf, a confused hybrid and a cursing vampire behind. Caroline whipped out her phone and used speed dial to call Stefan. As soon as he picked up, she spoke, "Hey, Stefan? Elena was just here. We have a problem."


	7. The Solution

Elena ran. She didn't know where she was running to. She didn't care. She didn't get tired. Or bored. She didn't think. She just kept pushing forward. Eventually she made it to woods in some random town, far from Mystic Falls. She stopped to glance at her surroundings. Elena leaned against a tree, not from physical exhaustion but from emotional. The past hours had been nothing but turmoil and all of the good she had just gained in life had been torn away from her.

Elena pulled out her phone and checked the screen. She had only been gone for about three hours and yet her phone was screaming messages at her.

Where did you go? –Damon

Stefan just called. Please, Elena, call me. –Damon

Tell me where you are. We just want to make sure you're safe. –Stefan

Please, Elena, just come home and don't do anything you might regret. –Damon

Elena, I didn't mean to make you angry. We need to talk. Where are you? –Caroline

Elena locked her phone and returned it to her pocket before sitting on a nearby rock. She stopped moving in a way that only a vampire could. She sat, not tensing any muscles. Not even breathing. She just sat and thought.

_How long do I have? I've been running full speed with no direction in mind. It'll probably take them at least a couple of hours to find me. That gives me a couple of hours to think. I just need to think this through without all of their voices and opinions crowding my head._

Elena took a deep breath to calm herself down before returning to her breathless state.

_Damon. That is the problem isn't it? And the problem is that there aren't any problems. How could there be? He's happy, I'm happy. Yeah, they're connected, but I'm not happy _because_ he's happy. We just make each other happy. That isn't a sire bond. That's a relationship. They're all just in denial. That's all it is._

Elena took another deep breath before continuing her thoughts.

_But what if it's not? I can't risk the best thing that's ever happened to me because I'm stubborn. Damon wants this as much as I do and he's believing it. So what did they say to convince him? They told him that I did everything he asked. But I haven't! Think, Elena! There has to be one example. I just need one._

Elena sat on the rock, growing more agitated as she faced the fact that she couldn't come up with a single time she hadn't done as Damon asked. She tried his blood when he told her to see if she could keep it down. She killed Connor after he instructed her to. Elena stood and began to pace, feeling restricted rather than relaxed in her seat.

_I can't be sired. I know what I feel. What I feel is real. When Tyler was sired, he still hated Klaus. Yeah, he obeyed him, but he still felt hatred. Even _if_ I am sired, it isn't affecting my feelings. Just my actions. And I feel like I love Damon._

Elena returned to her seat with that thought calming her.

_But Damon won't believe that. He won't believe things he can't have proof of._

Elena leapt up and punched a hole in the tree she had leaned against earlier, releasing a sigh of exasperation as she watched the cuts on her hand from the bark heal.

_I can accept that I'm sired. It isn't that big a deal. It doesn't change how I feel. That's real. And that's all that matters. But he won't we with me until I can prove the bond is gone. So I need to break it. But _how_?_ _Caroline is right, It's not as simple as the hybrids. They were grateful to Klause. I'm not grateful for what I am now._

Elena turned her back to the tree and slid down until she was crouched on the ground, her head on her knees.

_But I don't hate what I am. I hate what I have to do, but I don't hate myself because of it. That must be it. That's it._

Elena lifted her head and scanned the woods around her, trying to distract herself from her realization.

_I don't hate myself because I've been able to control my vampire side. It's been hard, but I've done it. So, to break the bond, I have to let the vampire side control me. I have to let myself go. I have to kill someone in cold blood._

Elena sat staring at her hands, sobered by the solution. She wasn't relaxed, or anxious. Just in shock. At what it would take. At what she would have to do. Suddenly, Elena heard the snaps of twigs as someone approached. She stood and tensed her muscles, ready to run if she needed to. Damon stepped into sight, moving slowly so he didn't scare her off. Unlike what he was expecting, Elena didn't relax when she saw it was him. If anything, she was even more ready to take flight.

"How did you find me so quickly?" Elena broke the silence between them.

"We shared blood, Elena. I have a better sense of you. I can tell if I'm close to you. And I can tell your mood a little bit," Damon was clearly concerned about the emotional car crash he had just felt second hand. "Come on, Elena. Let's go home and we can work this out."

Damon stood twenty feet away from her, careful to not startle her or make any moves closer that she didn't initiate. Elena seemed to relax a little bit. Just enough for Damon to be less worried that she would decide to try to outrun him. Elena didn't speak. They stood, not moving any closer to the other, just looking at each other's body language and feeling each other's emotions freeze.

"Could you still let me love you," Elena whispered, so quietly that without vampire hearing, Damon wouldn't have been able to make it out. Damon didn't know how to respond to her question. "Could you believe me when I say I love you? And just let me? Not question it or try to explain it? Just let me love you?"

Damon didn't change his face at all. After a few moments of her searching his eyes for an answer, his face fell and he shook his head slightly. "Elena, I love you so much. I can't take advantage of you like that."

Elena's eyes filled with tears that Damon couldn't explain. Elena dropped her gaze to her feet before speaking, "I'm so sorry, Damon. But I know what I need to do now."

Elena glanced up to catch his eyes, hers filled with guilt and his filled with worry. She could feel his stress over what she was talking about. What she decided to do for him. And he could feel her pain at what she was planning. Both felt their hearts broke for hurting the one they loved so much. But neither could back down.

"I'm so sorry…" Elena breathed before disappearing from the spot, leaving Damon staring at the ground where she had just been standing.


End file.
